Quarantine Concert Series_#114: Sy Smith
Sy Smith's Live Streaming Concert
**This is access to a recording of their live performance on our stage on Oct. 9, 2020.**
Sy Smith, vocals
Dre King, piano & trumpet
Biscuit Bynum, percussion
Dennis Turner, bass
Sy Smith has solidified her place in the world of underground soul music (she’s often called “the hardest working woman in underground soul”). This Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and producer helped cultivate the nu-soul scene in that city more than 10 years ago, a scene which now easily boasts some of the most progressive artists of that genre to date, some of whom came directly from Smith’s own band line-ups (including Thundercat and Kamasi Washington). Her catalog includes 5 studio albums, with contributions from a who’s who of producers (James Poyser of The Roots, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest and Nicolay of The Foreign Exchange). All 5 of her albums, including her latest - the self-written/self-produced “Sometimes A Rose Will Grow In Concrete” have been heralded by critics around the world for Smith’s lyrical dexterity, her vocal whimsy (often colored with a very distinctive rhythmic swing that’s all her own) and her ability to spin a story like few others in soul music. Listeners often remark on Smith’s vocal range, which moves effortlessly from a speakeasy, gritty alto all the way to a stratospheric soprano whistle register reminiscent of the late Minnie Riperton.
Smith’s career began as a backing vocalist on some of the music industry’s most coveted gigs. She has provided supporting vocals for Whitney Houston, Sheila E., Meshell Ndegeocello, Chaka Khan, Usher, Macy Gray and The Rickey Minor Band (as seen on American Idol for six seasons and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno). Most recently though, she’s caught the ear of jazz aficionados as a featured guest with Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti. Audiences around the world are often astounded to see Smith’s voice and Botti’s trumpet go note-for-note in playful competition on stage and her performances of “The Look Of Love” on his Grammy
nominated DVD “Live In Boston” and “The Very Thought Of You” on his 2018 PBS special “Great Performances” are audience favorites. In addition to winning 3 Los Angeles Black Music Awards in 2019, Sy received an Emmy nomination for her songwriting (Best Music/ Lyrics for “Welcome Back All My Soulmates” for HBO’s Dancing In September), she contributed songwriting and/or vocal arranging to Grammy-nominated albums by both John Legend (“A Legendary Christmas”) and Chris Dave (“Chris Dave And The Drumhedz”), two NAACP Theater Award nominations, both for best supporting actress in a comedy/musical, for her theater work in Los Angeles (Michael Ajakwe’s If You Don’t Believe: A Love Story, Body Language), and she has numerous television acting credits (Ally McBeal, How I Met Your Mother, American Dad). Her voice can be heard as the character of Aisha on the popular video game franchise Saint’s Row (she also wrote/produced some of the music for this game). This NYC-born/Washington DC-raised woman is a proud graduate of Howard University where she earned a bachelor of science in psychology
Showtime is 7 pm ET/6 pm CT/5 pm MT/4 pm PT/11 pm GMT
Streaming cost is $7
Donations are welcomed.